NFL HoF

[slotdirt]

Don't get me started on Catfish. I think he's easily the worst pitcher in the HOF, and you disagree. No need to rehash that argument.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Don't get me started on Catfish. I think he's easily the worst pitcher in the HOF, and you disagree. No need to rehash that argument.

How anyone could possibly rank him below Dizzy Dean or Red Ruffing is beyond me

[slotdirt]

Or Rube Marquard I suppose.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Or Rube Marquard I suppose.

Burleigh Grimes is questionable as well

[slotdirt]

Funny that you mention Dean when he's basically in the HOF for the same reason Hunter is - a couple decent peak years. Unfortunately for your argument, Dean had more and better peak years than did Hunter. Ruffing also kills Hunter in virtually every measurable meaningful statistic save career ERA, plus he was inducted because just about every decent Yanks player from that time is also in the HOF. Not my cup of tea, but probably at least equally as deserving as Hunter.

I think Marquard is his only real competition for the title of "worst pitcher in the baseball HOF" to be honest.

[slotdirt]

Burleigh Grimes is also on the questionable list, I would agree.

[Crown@club]

Interesting since it took Lou Whitaker 700 more plate appearances to either match statistics or come up short compared to Ryne Sandberg.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Funny that you mention Dean when he's basically in the HOF for the same reason Hunter is - a couple decent peak years. Unfortunately for your argument, Dean had more and better peak years than did Hunter. Ruffing also kills Hunter in virtually every measurable meaningful statistic save career ERA, plus he was inducted because just about every decent Yanks player from that time is also in the HOF. Not my cup of tea, but probably at least equally as deserving as Hunter.

I think Marquard is his only real competition for the title of "worst pitcher in the baseball HOF" to be honest.

Dean had 3 really good years and 2 pretty good years and pretty much thats it. You want to penalize Hunter for being in the bigs at 19 and having 3 injury plagued years where he didnt even make 1/2 season at the end of his career. Hunter is a better pitcher than Ruffing.

[Cannon Shell]

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...itching_simple

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...itching_simple

[slotdirt]

The statistic that counts - IMHO - is WAR, and Whitaker killed Sandberg over the course of his career. I know I'm not the only one who thinks Whitaker is one of the truly underappreciated players of all time.

Hunter is 195th in career WAR for pitchers, and has the lowest ERA+ of any starting pitcher in the baseball HOF. He basically had three above average seasons and 12 really average (or even below average in many cases) ones. Red Ruffing had three seasons of ERA+ better than Hunter's top of 140, Dizzy Dean had two. Catfish Hunter was probably a better pitcher than Rube Marquard, however, who basically was enshrined because he wrote a book that was filled with lies.

P.S. - and yes, of course I want to penalize Hunter for having an injury plagued career. It's fine to have an injury shortened career and make the HOF, but Pedro Martinez or Sandy Koufax (or even Dizzy Dean) Hunter surely was not.